Publications

[contribution of determinants, located in bacillus anthracis chromosomes, in realizing the pathogenic properties of the pathogen].	comparative study of virulence of b. anthracis strains harbouring pxo1 and pxo2 plasmids in mice and guinea pigs showed that among six b. anthracis strains, three were 100-1000 times less virulent for guinea pigs. genetic construction of b. anthracis strains using transduction and conjugation transfer of resident plasmids permitted us to rule out the effects of modified pxo1 and pxo2 replicons and to prove the existence of nonidentified chromosome locuses responsible for the development of an in ...	1999	10190106
antivaccine advocates line up to support airman.		1999	10189440
cloning and nucleotide sequence analysis of gyrb of bacillus cereus, b. thuringiensis, b. mycoides, and b. anthracis and their application to the detection of b. cereus in rice.	as 16s rrna sequence analysis has proven inadequate for the differentiation of bacillus cereus from closely related species, we employed the gyrase b gene (gyrb) as a molecular diagnostic marker. the gyrb genes of b. cereus jcm 2152(t), bacillus thuringiensis iam 12077(t), bacillus mycoides atcc 6462(t), and bacillus anthracis pasteur #2h were cloned and sequenced. oligonucleotide pcr primer sets were designed from within gyrb sequences of the respective bacteria for the specific amplification a ...	1999	10103241
[pulmonary anthrax].	anthrax is a zoonotic disease caused by bacillus anthracis. skin disease is the most common form in humans. pulmonary anthrax related to the inhalation of airborne germs develops after a silent incubation period of several days and followed by acute respiratory distress. diagnosis is a difficult task and generally based on demonstration of bacillus anthracis on direct examination. despite the sensitivity of b. anthracis to penicillin, treatment is rarely successful.	1998	10100352
[anthrax].		1999	10088485
[inhalation anthrax].		1999	10088414
cutaneous manifestations of biological warfare and related threat agents.	the specter of biological warfare (bw) looms large in the minds of many americans. the us government has required that emergency response teams in more than 100 american cities be trained by the year 2001 to recognize and contain a bw attack. the us military is requiring active duty soldiers to receive immunization against anthrax. dermatologists need not feel helpless in the face of a potential bw attack. many potential agents have cutaneous manifestations that the trained eye of a dermatologis ...	1999	10086453
identification of a receptor-binding region within domain 4 of the protective antigen component of anthrax toxin.	anthrax toxin from bacillus anthracis is a three-component toxin consisting of lethal factor (lf), edema factor (ef), and protective antigen (pa). lf and ef are the catalytic components of the toxin, whereas pa is the receptor-binding component. to identify residues of pa that are involved in interaction with the cellular receptor, two solvent-exposed loops of domain 4 of pa (amino acids [aa] 679 to 693 and 704 to 723) were mutagenized, and the altered proteins purified and tested for toxicity i ...	1999	10085028
oligomerization of anthrax toxin protective antigen and binding of lethal factor during endocytic uptake into mammalian cells.	the protective antigen (pa) protein of anthrax toxin binds to a cellular receptor and is cleaved by cell surface furin to produce a 63-kda fragment (pa63). the receptor-bound pa63 oligomerizes to a heptamer and acts to translocate the catalytic moieties of the toxin, lethal factor (lf) and edema factor (ef), from endosomes to the cytosol. in this report, we used nondenaturing gel electrophoresis to show that each pa63 subunit in the heptamer can bind one lf molecule. studies using pa immobilized ...	1999	10085027
bioterror defense initiative injects shot of cash.		1999	10084920
the efforts of who and pugwash to eliminate chemical and biological weapons--a memoir.	the world health organization and the pugwash conferences on science and world affairs (nobel peace prize 1995) have been involved in questions concerning chemical and biological arms since the early 1950s. this memoir reviews a number of milestones in the efforts of these organizations to achieve the elimination of these weapons through international treaties effectively monitored and enforced for adherence to their provisions. it also highlights a number of outstanding personalities who were i ...	1999	10083714
from the centers for disease control and prevention. bioterrorism alleging use of anthrax and interim guidelines for management--united states, 1998.		1999	10070984
a randomly amplified polymorphic dna marker specific for the bacillus cereus group is diagnostic for bacillus anthracis.	aiming to develop a dna marker specific for bacillus anthracis and able to discriminate this species from bacillus cereus, bacillus thuringiensis, and bacillus mycoides, we applied the randomly amplified polymorphic dna (rapd) fingerprinting technique to a collection of 101 strains of the genus bacillus, including 61 strains of the b. cereus group. an 838-bp rapd marker (sg-850) specific for b. cereus, b. thuringiensis, b. anthracis, and b. mycoides was identified. this fragment included a putat ...	1999	10049896
activation of phospholipase c and protein kinase c is required for expression of anthrax lethal toxin cytotoxicity in j774a.1 cells.	anthrax lethal toxin (lt) comprises two proteins: the protective antigen (pa) and the lethal factor (lf). the lt is cytotoxic to macrophage-like cell line j774a.1. pre-treatment of these cells with neomycin, a phospholipase c inhibitor, protected them against anthrax lt cytotoxicity. protection obtained with neomycin indicated that lt stimulates phospholipase c in these cells. it was found that levels of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (ip3) dramatically increased in toxin-treated cells. the rise in ...	1999	10048788
production and cell surface anchoring of functional fusions between the slh motifs of the bacillus anthracis s-layer proteins and the bacillus subtilis levansucrase.	many surface proteins of gram-positive bacteria contain motifs, about 50 amino acids long, called s-layer homology (slh) motifs. bacillus anthracis, the causal agent of anthrax, synthesizes two s-layer proteins, each with three slh motifs towards the amino-terminus. we used biochemical and genetic approaches to investigate the involvement of these motifs in cell surface anchoring. proteinase k digestion produced polypeptides lacking these motifs, and stable three-motif polypeptides were produced ...	1999	10048035
the looming threat of bioterrorism.	biological weapons have recently attracted the attention and the resources of the nation. discerning the nature of the threat of bioweapons as well as appropriate responses to them requires greater attention to the biological characteristics of these instruments of war and terror. the dominant paradigm of a weapon as a nuclear device that explodes or a chemical cloud that is set adrift leaves us ill-equipped conceptually and practically to assess and thus to prevent the potentially devastating e ...	1999	10037590
us military face punishment for refusing anthrax vaccine.		1999	10023914
bioterrorism alleging use of anthrax and interim guidelines for management--united states, 1998.	from october 30 through december 23, 1998, cdc received reports of a series of bioterroristic threats of anthrax exposure. letters alleged to contain anthrax were sent to health clinics on october 30, 1998, in indiana, kentucky, and tennessee. during december 17-23 in california, a letter alleged to contain anthrax was sent to a private business, and three telephone threats of anthrax contamination of ventilation systems were made to private and public buildings. all threats were hoaxes and are ...	1999	10023627
protection against anthrax toxin by vaccination with a dna plasmid encoding anthrax protective antigen.	a dna vaccine encoding the immunogenic and biologically active portion of anthrax protective antigen (pa) was constructed. spleen cells from balb/c mice immunized intramuscularly with this vaccine were stimulated to secrete ifn gamma and il-4 when exposed to pa in vitro. immunized mice also mounted a humoral immune response dominated by igg1 anti-pa antibody production, the subclass previously shown to confer protection against anthrax toxin. a 1:100 dilution of serum from these animals protecte ...	1999	9987172
germination of bacillus anthracis spores within alveolar macrophages.	the fatal character of the infection caused by inhalation of bacillus anthracis spores results from a complex pathogenic cycle involving the synthesis of toxins by the bacterium. we have shown using immunofluorescent staining, confocal scanning laser microscopy and image cytometry analysis that the alveolar macrophage was the primary site of b. anthracis germination in a murine inhalation infection model. bacillus anthracis germinated inside murine macrophage-like raw264.7 cells and murine alveo ...	1999	9987105
liquid chromatography/microspray mass spectrometry for bacterial investigations.	cellular proteins (biomarkers) specific to any individual microorganism, determined by the direct mass spectral analysis of the corresponding intact cellular suspension, can be applied for the rapid and specific identification of the organisms present in unknown samples. the components of the bacterial suspensions, after a rapid separation over a c18 reversed-phase microcapillary column, were directly subjected to on-line electrospray ionization followed by analysis using an ion trap tandem mass ...	1999	9921688
[pathogenicity and diagnosis of bacillus anthracis].	in poland cutaneous form of anthrax is occurring sporadically. most of these cases were recognized in the eastern part of the country adjacent to the eastern border (lomza region and others). the latest literature on epidemiology, diagnosis, prevention and treatment of anthrax is reviewed in order to spread modern views on anthrax and to implement changes in the diagnostic methods of anthrax in poland.	1998	9919922
functional analysis of the carboxy-terminal domain of bacillus anthracis protective antigen.	protective antigen (pa) is the common receptor-binding component of the two anthrax toxins. we investigated the involvement of the pa carboxy-terminal domain in the interaction of the protein with cells. a deletion resulting in removal of the entire carboxy-terminal domain of pa (pa608) or part of an exposed loop of 19 amino acids (703 to 722) present within this domain was introduced into the pag gene. pa608 did not induce the lethal-factor (lf)-mediated cytotoxic effect on macrophages because ...	1999	9916116
vaccination against anthrax with attenuated recombinant strains of bacillus anthracis that produce protective antigen.	the protective efficacy of several live, recombinant anthrax vaccines given in a single-dose regimen was assessed with hartley guinea pigs. these live vaccines were created by transforming deltaanr and deltasterne, two nonencapsulated, nontoxinogenic strains of bacillus anthracis, with four different recombinant plasmids that express the anthrax protective antigen (pa) protein to various degrees. this enabled us to assess the effect of the chromosomal background of the strain, as well as the amo ...	1999	9916059
grease, anthraxgate, and kennel cough: a revisionist history of early veterinary vaccines.	in conclusion, it is remarkable just how farsighted many of the early vaccine investigators were. jenner was apparently very comfortable with contagion and even recognized that infectious agents could gradually change and adapt to a new species. pasteur, long before his fowl cholera experiment, dreamed that attenuation could yield safe vaccines and it took him no time at all therefore to recognize the significance of that serendipitous experiment. the fact that two other investigators were also ...	1999	9890006
biological warfare: what happens if we are attacked?		1998	9875006
development of internal controls for pcr detection of bacillus anthracis.	this work describes the development and evaluation of a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (pcr) for the detection of bacillus anthracis strains harbouring plasmid px02. the multiplex also incorporated an internal control (ic) to avoid false negative reactions. internal controls consisted of plasmids containing modified pcr target sequences, corresponding to the capc and ba813 genes of b. anthracis, which were then co-amplified with the original target sequences using the same set of amplimers. ...	1998	9843654
characterization of membrane translocation by anthrax protective antigen.	solving the crystallographic structure of the ring-shaped heptamer formed by protective antigen (pa), the b moiety of anthrax toxin, has focused attention on understanding how this oligomer mediates membrane translocation of the toxin's a moieties. we have developed an assay for translocation in which radiolabeled ligands are bound to proteolytically activated pa (pa63) at the surface of cho or l6 cells, and translocation across the plasma membrane is induced by lowering the ph. the cells are th ...	1998	9843379
bacillus weihenstephanensis sp. nov. is a new psychrotolerant species of the bacillus cereus group.	the bacillus cereus group comprises the four valid species bacillus cereus, bacillus mycoides, bacillus thuringiensis and bacillus anthracis. some isolates of b. cereus are known to be psychrotolerant (growth at 7 degrees c or below). here, specific sequence differences are described between the 16s rdna, the 23s rdna, the 16s-23s rdna spacer region and the genes of the major cold-shock protein homologue cspa in a variety of psychrotolerant and mesophilic b. cereus and b. mycoides strains. rando ...	1998	9828439
surgical management of cutaneous anthrax.	cutaneous anthrax in humans is a very rare disease caused by bacillus anthracis. humans become infected with this spore-forming bacterium when they come into contact with an infected animal. the disease usually develops on exposed sites like the hands and the face. the authors present 4 patients with cutaneous anthrax: 2 of the hands and 2 of the eyelids. all patients needed plastic surgical help via skin grafting after excision of the black eschar. no complications occurred after surgery. becau ...	1998	9827947
the pathology of experimental anthrax in rabbits exposed by inhalation and subcutaneous inoculation.	although rhesus monkeys are considered to be an appropriate model for inhalational anthrax in humans, an alternative for vaccine and therapeutic efficacy studies is desirable. this study characterized the pathology of lethal anthrax in rabbits challenged by subcutaneous inoculation and aerosol exposure.	1998	9822127
cutaneous anthrax associated with the kombucha "mushroom" in iran.		1998	9820255
comparative studies of magnetic particle-based solid phase fluorogenic and electrochemiluminescent immunoassay.	two solid phase immunoassays, an electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (eclia) and a magnetic particle fluorogenic immunoassay (mpfia) were evaluated and compared for bacterial detection. briefly, the eclia is based on a redox reaction between ruthenium (ii)-trisbipyridyl ru[(bpy)3]2+ labeled antibody and the excess of tripropylamine, which generates photons. the entire reaction is carried on the near surface area between the spherical magnetic beads and an anode electrode. the detectable bacteria ...	1998	9819118
exoy, an adenylate cyclase secreted by the pseudomonas aeruginosa type iii system.	the exoenzyme s regulon is a set of coordinately regulated virulence genes of pseudomonas aeruginosa. proteins encoded by the regulon include a type iii secretion and translocation apparatus, regulators of gene expression, and effector proteins. the effector proteins include two enzymes with adp-ribosyltransferase activity (exos and exot) and an acute cytotoxin (exou). in this study, we identified exoy as a fourth effector protein of the regulon. exoy is homologous to the extracellular adenylate ...	1998	9811898
[scientific language in the general communication media].		1998	9803582
the medical threat of biological weapons.	there is a heightened threat of biological weapons being used for biological warfare or bioterrorism. many of the microorganisms and toxins that may be used as such biological weapons can easily be acquired and mass produced. dissemination of aerosols of these biological agents can produce mass casualties. if used by a terrorist they may overwhelm our current public health system. some biological agents, such as bacillus anthracis (anthrax) and botulinum toxin, are considered far more likely tha ...	1998	9800098
sporadic human anthrax in urban brisbane.		1998	9775523
molecular characterization of bacillus strains involved in outbreaks of anthrax in france in 1997.	outbreaks of anthrax zoonose occurred in two regions of france in 1997. ninety-four animals died, and there were three nonfatal cases in humans. the diagnosis of anthrax was rapidly confirmed by bacteriological and molecular biological methods. the strains of bacillus anthracis in animal and soil samples were identified by a multiplex pcr assay. they all belonged to the variable-number tandem repeat (vntr) group (vntr)3. a penicillin-resistant strain was detected. nonvirulent bacilli related to ...	1998	9774609
practicalities of warfare required service personnel to be vaccinated against anthrax.		1998	9774304
rapid pathogen detection using a microchip pcr array instrument.	an array of pcr microchips for rapid, parallel testing of samples for pathogenic microbes is described. the instrument, called the advanced nucleic acid analyzer (anaa), utilizes 10 silicon reaction chambers with thin-film resistive heaters and solid-state optics. features of the system include efficient heating and real-time monitoring, low power requirements for battery operation, and no moving parts for reliability and ruggedness. we analyzed cultures of erwinia herbicola vegetative cells, ba ...	1998	9761255
[implications of bacterial protein toxins in infectious and food-borne diseases].	among the 315 protein toxins elicited by gram positive and gram negative bacteria so far characterized, about 50 toxins are currently considered as totally or partially, responsible of the pathological manifestations and/or lethality resulting from host infection or intoxication (contaminated food) by relevant toxinogenic bacteria. a certain number of criteria are required for the assessment of indisputable involvement of a toxin or an array of toxins (from the same bacteria) in infectious disea ...	1998	9759385
[anthrax toxins].	bacillus anthracis, a gram positive bacterium, is the causative agent of anthrax. this organism is capsulogen and toxinogenic. it secretes two toxins which are composed of three proteins: the protective antigen (pa), the lethal factor (lf) and the edema factor (ef). the lethal toxin (pa + lf) provokes a subite death in animals, the edema toxin (pa + ef) induces edema. the edema and the lethal factors are internalised into the target cells via the protective antigen. ef and lf exert an adenylate ...	1998	9759382
first shots fired in biological warfare.		1998	9751039
anthrax toxin as a molecular tool for stimulation of cytotoxic t lymphocytes: disulfide-linked epitopes, multiple injections, and role of cd4(+) cells.	we have previously demonstrated that anthrax toxin-derived proteins, protective antigen (pa) and the amino-terminal portion of lethal factor (lfn), can be used in combination to deliver heterologous molecules to the cytosol of mammalian cells. in this study we examined the ability of an lfn-peptide disulfide-linked heterodimer to prime cytotoxic t lymphocytes (ctl) in the presence of pa. a mutant of lfn that contains a carboxy-terminal reactive cysteine was generated. this form of lfn could be o ...	1998	9746566
use of a photoactivatable lipid to probe the topology of pa63 of bacillus anthracis in lipid membranes.	the protective antigen of bacillus anthracis is a key protein that promotes the translocation of the enzymatic moieties of the two toxins of b. anthracis into the cell cytoplasm. the membrane topology of the active form of the protective antigen (pa63) was investigated by proteolysis of pa63 inserted into liposomes containing a photoactivatable, radioactive lipid, and characterization of the n-terminal moiety of the deeply-inserted (and therefore radiolabeled) peptides. a single sequence startin ...	1998	9746362
a novel dipstick developed for rapid bet v 1-specific ige detection: recombinant allergen immobilized via a monoclonal antibody to crystalline bacterial cell-surface layers.	the incidence of allergy to airborne proteins derived from tree and grass pollen, feces of mites, spores of molds, and pet dander has been increasing over the last decades. since precise diagnosis is a prerequisite for successful immunotherapy, there is a rising demand for rapid, reliable, and inexpensive screening methods such as dipstick assays. with the purified recombinant major birch-pollen allergen rbet v 1a as model protein, crystalline bacterial cell-surface layers (s-layers) were tested ...	1998	9722228
ltx1, a mouse locus that influences the susceptibility of macrophages to cytolysis caused by intoxication with bacillus anthracis lethal factor, maps to chromosome 11.	the lethal factor (lf) toxin that is produced by bacillus anthracis plays an important role in the pathogenesis of anthrax. lf has mononuclear phagocyte-specific intoxicating effects that are not well understood. we have identified genetic differences in inbred mouse strains that determine whether their cultured macrophages are susceptible to the cytolytic effect of lf intoxication. our identification of resistant and susceptible mouse strains enabled us to analyse crosses between these strains ...	1998	9720874
bioterrorism as a public health threat.	the threat of bioterrorism, long ignored and denied, has heightened over the past few years. recent events in iraq, japan, and russia cast an ominous shadow. two candidate agents are of special concern--smallpox and anthrax. the magnitude of the problems and the gravity of the scenarios associated with release of these organisms have been vividly portrayed by two epidemics of smallpox in europe during the 1970s and by an accidental release of aerosolized anthrax from a russian bioweapons facilit ...	1998	9716981
biological warfare.		1998	9708788
anthrax lethal factor cleaves the n-terminus of mapkks and induces tyrosine/threonine phosphorylation of mapks in cultured macrophages.	lethal factor (lf) is the major virulence factor produced by bacillus anthracis. lf is sufficient to cause death in laboratory animals and cytolysis of peritoneal macrophages and macrophage cell lines. lf contains the characteristic zinc binding motif of metalloproteases and indirect evidence suggest that this hydrolytic activity is essential for its cytotoxicity. to identify the substrate(s) of lf, we have used the yeast two-hybrid system, employing a lf inactive mutant as bait. this approach h ...	1998	9703991
comparative efficacy of experimental anthrax vaccine candidates against inhalation anthrax in rhesus macaques.	the authors examined the efficacy of bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) combined with adjuvants as vaccines against an aerosol challenge of virulent anthrax spores in rhesus macaques. adjuvants tested included i) aluminum hydroxide (alhydrogel), ii) saponin qs-21 and iii) monophosphoryl lipid a (mpl) in squalene/lecithin/tween 80 emulsion (slt). animals were immunized once with either 50 micrograms of recombinant pa plus adjuvant, or with anthrax vaccine adsorbed (ava), the licensed huma ...	1998	9682372
the effectiveness and safety of vaccines against human anthrax: a systematic review.	we report on the results of a systematic review of existing controlled clinical trials undertaken to assess the effectiveness and safety of vaccines against human anthrax in relation to disease incidence and side-effects. two articles retrieved by electronic and hand search fulfilling some of the inclusion criteria underwent a quality assessment by a group of reviewers. data synthesized from the two trials showed that estimates of overall effectiveness and safety favour treatment (overall odds r ...	1998	9682332
thucydides' syndrome.		1998	9679482
anthrax: a disease from antiquity visits the modern world.		1998	9676107
the expression of the protective antigen of bacillus anthracis in bacillus subtilis.	the expression of bacillus anthracis protective antigen (pa) in b. subtilis from the pag gene in ppa101-1 was explored in different genetic backgrounds in an attempt to identify opportunities to maximize expression. introduction of atxa, which positively regulates pa expression in b. anthracis did not improve expression levels in the protease-deficient strain wb600. plasmid ppa101-1 was found to carry a deletion which created a new fusion point between vector and insert sequence, and which remov ...	1998	9674126
[cutaneous anthrax in a child].		1998	9662859
how anthrax kills.		1998	9660700
deadly relic of the great war.		1998	9655389
a plague upon your cattle.		1998	9654895
the public science of louis pasteur: the experiment on anthrax vaccine in the popular press of the time.	the paper focuses on pasteur's public experimentation of the anthrax vaccine (pouilly-le-fort, 1881) as portrayed in the english and french popular press of the time. it is argued that this 'popular' level of representation did not merely provide additional publicity for pasteur's ideas. rather, the nature and meaning of the experiment itself and of the related controversy on immunisation were substantially negotiated and shaped within the public arena. the multifold consequences of this framing ...	1997	9646725
airborne movement of anthrax spores from carcass sites in the etosha national park, namibia.	tests for airborne movement of anthrax spores downwind from three heavily contaminated carcass sites were carried out under a range of wind conditions. anthrax spores were detected in just three of 43 cyclone or gelatin filter air samples taken at distances of 6, 12 and 18 m from the sites. in addition, nine positives resulted during sampling sessions in which the site was mechanically disturbed, with a further five positives being found in sessions subsequent to those in which the site had been ...	1998	9633664
study of immunization against anthrax with the purified recombinant protective antigen of bacillus anthracis.	protective antigen (pa) of anthrax toxin is the major component of human anthrax vaccine. currently available human vaccines in the united states and europe consist of alum-precipitated supernatant material from cultures of toxigenic, nonencapsulated strains of bacillus anthracis. immunization with these vaccines requires several boosters and occasionally causes local pain and edema. we previously described the biological activity of a nontoxic mutant of pa expressed in bacillus subtilis. in the ...	1998	9632621
a heat-inducible bacillus subtilis bacteriophage phi 105 expression system for the production of the protective antigen of bacillus anthracis.	the protective antigen of bacillus anthracis is the major protective immunogen in the current human vaccine. a heat-inducible protective antigen expression system was constructed based on a derivative of bacillus subtilis phage phi 105. the recombinant protein produced by this system protected immunised animals against challenge with spores of b. anthracis. gene instability and protease activity of the host strain contributed to the low level of recoverable protein in culture supernatant (approx ...	1998	9631544
protective efficacy of a recombinant protective antigen against bacillus anthracis challenge and assessment of immunological markers.	the efficacy of recombinant bacillus anthracis protective antigen (rpa) produced in bacillus subtilis and formulated in alhydrogel or mpl-tdm-cws (ribi adjuvant) has been tested and compared to the licensed uk human vaccine in guinea pigs challenged by the aerosol route with the ames strain of b. anthracis. rpa combined with the ribi adjuvant was found to be the only formulation to provide 100% protection from challenge. analysis of immunological parameters in the individual animals revealed sig ...	1998	9627938
construction of phylogenetic tree based on g + c contents in dna and 16s rrna sequences: example for group 1 of genus bacillus.	the applicability of the g + c content in dna in the construction of phylogenetic tree was studied. the group 1 of the genus bacillus was selected as an object for study. statistically reliable correlation between evolutionary distances of 16s rrna sequences (ei) and parameter pi named as "gc evolutionary distance" was shown. the value of pi is the difference between the g + c content in dna of two species branching from one phylogenetic line. the coefficient of correlation between ei and pi equ ...	1998	9621692
cyclosporine induced autoimmunity in newborns prevented by early immunization.	it has been shown in animal toxicity models that administration of cyclosporine, csa, to a pregnant mouse greatly increases the risk that the offspring will develop autoimmunity. immunization starting at birth has been shown to prevent autoimmunity in other animal models of autoimmunity and early immunization is associated with the prevention of diabetes in humans. experiments were performed to see if early immunization could also prevent csa induced autoimmunity. mice were injected with csa dur ...	1998	9609130
carbon dioxide as a regulator of gene expression in microorganisms.	co2 regulates gene expression across a diverse group of microorganisms including fungi, and both photosynthetic and non photosynthetic bacteria. the processes that co2 regulates are diverse. several co2-responsive random promoter lacz fusions of unknown function have been isolated from a marine synechococcus and a pseudoalteromonas sp., highlighting the wide effect of co2 control in these organisms. regulatory proteins have been described that mediate the co2 response at transcription level in b ...	1998	9602281
anthrax vaccine.		1998	9599595
new clue to how anthrax kills.		1998	9599144
lethal factor active-site mutations affect catalytic activity in vitro.	the lethal factor (lf) protein of bacillus anthracis lethal toxin contains the thermolysin-like active-site and zinc-binding consensus motif hexxh (k. r. klimpel, n. arora, and s. h. leppla, mol. microbiol. 13:1093-1100, 1994). lf is hypothesized to act as a zn2+ metalloprotease in the cytoplasm of macrophages, but no proteolytic activities have been previously shown on any target substrate. here, synthetic peptides are hydrolyzed by lf in vitro. mass spectroscopy and peptide sequencing of isola ...	1998	9573135
proteolytic inactivation of map-kinase-kinase by anthrax lethal factor.	anthrax lethal toxin, produced by the bacterium bacillus anthracis, is the major cause of death in animals infected with anthrax. one component of this toxin, lethal factor (lf), is suspected to be a metalloprotease, but no physiological substrates have been identified. here it is shown that lf is a protease that cleaves the amino terminus of mitogen-activated protein kinase kinases 1 and 2 (mapkk1 and mapkk2) and that this cleavage inactivates mapkk1 and inhibits the mapk signal transduction pa ...	1998	9563949
all troops sent to gulf should be randomised to receive anthrax vaccination or placebo.		1998	9554917
anthrax.		1998	9526481
identification of residues lining the anthrax protective antigen channel.	in its activated 63 kda form, the protective antigen (pa) component of anthrax toxin forms a heptameric prepore, which converts to a pore (channel) in endosomal membranes at low ph and mediates translocation of the toxin's enzymic moieties to the cytosol. it has been proposed that the prepore-to-pore conversion involves a conformational rearrangement of a disordered amphipathic loop (d2l2; residues 302-325), in which loops from the 7 protomers combine to form a transmembrane 14-stranded beta bar ...	1998	9521715
re: multiple vaccination.		1997	9519681
[current status of anthrax or black fever].	although anthrax is one of the oldest recognized infectious diseases in the world, it remains widespread particularly in tropical zones such as africa. the impact of this major zoonoses is further enhanced by the fact that the pulmonary form can be used for biological warfare. recently there has been a revival of interest in anthrax and research has benefited greatly from advances in molecular biology. the main factors accounting for the virulence of bacillus anthracis have been elucidated. the ...	1997	9513179
internalization of a bacillus anthracis protective antigen-c-myc fusion protein mediated by cell surface anti-c-myc antibodies.	anthrax toxin, secreted by bacillus anthracis, consists of protective antigen (pa) and either lethal factor (lf) or edema factor (ef). pa, the receptor-binding component of the toxin, translocates lf or ef into the cytosol, where the latter proteins exert their toxic effects. we hypothesized that anthrax toxin fusion proteins could be used to kill virus-infected cells and tumor cells, if pa could be redirected to unique receptors found only on these cells.	1998	9508786
anthrax as a potential biological warfare agent.	anthrax is a zoonotic illness recognized since antiquity. today, human anthrax has been all but eradicated from the industrialized world, with the vast majority of practitioners in the united states unlikely to have seen a case. unfortunately, the disease remains endemic in many areas of the world, and anthrax poses a threat as a mass casualty-producing weapon if used in a biological warfare capacity.	1998	9508220
fermentation, purification, and characterization of protective antigen from a recombinant, avirulent strain of bacillus anthracis.	bacillus anthracis, the etiologic agent for anthrax, produces two bipartite, ab-type exotoxins, edema toxin and lethal toxin. the b subunit of both exotoxins is an m(r) 83,000 protein termed protective antigen (pa). the human anthrax vaccine currently licensed for use in the united states consists primarily of this protein adsorbed onto aluminum oxyhydroxide. this report describes the production of pa from a recombinant, asporogenic, nontoxigenic, and nonencapsulated host strain of b. anthracis ...	1998	9501438
us anthrax-vaccine producer saved for now.		1998	9500344
interaction with a lipid membrane: a key step in bacterial toxins virulence.	bacterial toxins are secreted as soluble proteins. however, they have to interact with a cell lipid membrane either to permeabilize the cells (pore forming toxins) or to enter into the cytosol to express their enzymatic activity (translocation toxins). the aim of this review is to suggest that the strategies developed by toxins to insert in a lipid membrane is mediated by their structure. two categories, which contains both pore forming and translocation toxins, are emerging: alpha helical prote ...	1997	9493052
production and purification of recombinant protective antigen and protective efficacy against bacillus anthracis.	recombinant protective antigen (rpa), expressed by bacillus subtilis wb600 (ppa 101), has been purified to homogeneity and the protective efficacy against a bacillus anthracis challenge has been investigated. rpa was fractionated from culture supernatant fluid by ammonium sulphate, followed by anion exchange chromatography using deae streamline, anion-exchange chromatography on fplc monoq hr 10/10 and finally, gel filtration chromatography on fplc superose 12 hr 10/30, to yield 7 mg rpa per litr ...	1998	9489035
fatal meningoencephalitis due to bacillus anthracis.	we report the first case of fatal anthrax meningoencephalitis in hong kong over the past 60 years. a 13 year-old boy presented with right lower quadrant pain, diarrhoea and progressive headache. lumbar puncture yielded gram positive bacilli initially thought to be bacillus cereus, a contaminant. he was treated with ampicillin and cefotaxime, but died 3 days after hospitalization. the organism isolated from blood and cerebrospinal fluid was later identified as bacillus anthracis.	1997	9484689
cutaneous manifestations of anthrax in rural haiti.	in industrialized countries, the zoonotic disease anthrax has been virtually eradicated because of effective public health measures including animal vaccination and quality control of animal products. in developing parts of the world, however, anthrax remains an occupational hazard of herdsmen and workers who have direct contact with infected animals or who process animal hides, hair, bone and bone products, and wool. for clinicians unfamiliar with this interesting infectious disease, the major ...	1998	9455516
expression and purification of the recombinant lethal factor of bacillus anthracis.	the structural gene for the 90-kda lethal factor (lf) isolated from bacillus anthracis was expressed as a fusion protein with six histidine residues in escherichia coli. expression of lf in e. coli under the transcriptional regulation of the t5 promoter yielded a soluble cytosolic protein with an apparent molecular mass of 90 kda, as determined by sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. recombinant lf reacted with anti-lf antibodies. the protein was purified to homogeneity by ...	1998	9453657
anthrax toxin-mediated delivery in vivo and in vitro of a cytotoxic t-lymphocyte epitope from ovalbumin.	we reported earlier that a nontoxic form of anthrax toxin was capable of delivering a cytotoxic t-lymphocyte (ctl) epitope in vivo, such that a specific ctl response was primed against the epitope. the epitope, of bacterial origin, was fused to an n-terminal fragment (lfn) from the lethal-factor component of the toxin, and the fusion protein was injected, together with the protective antigen (pa) component, into balb/c mice. here we report that pa plus lfn is capable of delivering a different ep ...	1998	9453617
ventricular shunt infection and meningitis due to bacillus cereus.	non-anthrax bacillus species are usually considered to be contaminants if found in clinical specimens. only a few patients with systemic infections due to bacillus cereus are reported. we present the case of a 18-month old boy with a primitive neuroectodermal tumor (pnet) in the brainstem and obstructive hydrocephalus that required an outlying and subsequently a ventriculoperitoneal drain. following contamination at the site of entry of the external drain, shunt infection and meningitis with bac ...	1997	9453032
military stays in bosnia; vaccinates for anthrax.		1998	9450696
site directed mutagenesis of histidine residues in anthrax toxin lethal factor binding domain reduces toxicity.	anthrax lethal toxin is a mixture of protective antigen (pa, 735 aa) and lethal factor (lf, 776 aa). earlier studies have shown that 254 residues of lethal factor are sufficient for pa binding to cause internalization (arora n and leppla sh, j biol chem 268: 3334-3342, 1993). the present study was undertaken to determine residues which are important for binding of lf to pa. lf modification with diethyl pyrocarbonate (depc, modifies histidine residue primarily) results in the loss of binding and ...	1997	9450639
pcr analysis of tissue samples from the 1979 sverdlovsk anthrax victims: the presence of multiple bacillus anthracis strains in different victims.	an outbreak of human anthrax occurred in sverdlovsk, union of soviet socialists republic (now ekaterinburg, russia) in april 1979. officials attributed this to consumption of contaminated meat, but western governments believed it resulted from inhalation of spores accidentally released from a nearby military research facility. tissue samples from 11 victims were obtained and methods of efficiently extracting high-quality total dna from these samples were developed. extracted dna was analyzed by ...	1998	9448313
anthrax lethal toxin-induced mitogenic response of human t-cells.	bacillus anthracis lethal toxin (palf) stimulated the proliferation of human peripheral blood t-cells in vitro. activation of t-lymphocytes by palf required the presence of monocytes and did not result from a collaborative effect between t-cells and b-cells. palf acted directly on monocytes and independently of t-cells. the monocytes contributed to the proliferation of t-cells by secretion of mediator(s). the mitogenic activity of the lethal toxin was dependent on its metalloprotease activity.	1997	9435110
the capsule and s-layer: two independent and yet compatible macromolecular structures in bacillus anthracis.	bacillus anthracis, the etiological agent of anthrax, is a gram-positive spore-forming bacterium. fully virulent bacilli are toxinogenic and capsulated. two abundant surface proteins, including the major antigen, are components of the b. anthracis surface layer (s-layer). the b. anthracis paracrystalline s-layer has previously only been found in noncapsulated vegetative cells. here we report that the s-layer proteins are also synthesized under conditions where the poly-gamma-d-glutamic acid caps ...	1998	9422592
expression of cereolysine ab genes in bacillus anthracis vaccine strain ensures protection against experimental hemolytic anthrax infection.	the cereolysin ab genes from bacillus cereus vkm-b164 have been expressed in bacillus anthracis strains: virulent h-7 (pxo1, pxo2), vaccine sti-1 (pxo1), 221 (without its own plasmids). expression was achieved by cloning the genes in a high copy number plasmid pe194. this construct was integrated with host genomes in amplified form. gold hamsters were vaccinated with parental and recombinant b. anthracis sti-1 and 221 strains and challenged with virulent ones subcutaneously. gold hamsters vaccin ...	1997	9413092
[a case of cutaneous anthrax in the lomza district].	a case of anthrax is reported in 46 year old man. cases of anthrax in animals and human beings are rare in poland and therefore the diagnosis of the disease can be difficult.	1997	9411503
structure and interaction of pa63 and ef (edema toxin) of bacillus anthracis with lipid membrane.	the secondary structures of the two components of the bacillus anthracis edema toxin, protective antigen (pa63) and edema factor (ef), as well as the two ef mutants: cya30 (containing the n-terminal pa63-binding domain) and cya62 (containing the c-terminal catalytic domain) were investigated as a function of ph in the absence and in the presence of phospholipid vesicles using attenuated total reflection fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. secondary structures were independent of ph, whereas ...	1997	9398214
passive protection by polyclonal antibodies against bacillus anthracis infection in guinea pigs.	the protective effects of polyclonal antisera produced by injecting guinea pigs with protective antigen (pa), the chemical anthrax vaccine ava, or sterne spore vaccine, as well as those of toxin-neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mabs) produced against pa, lethal factor, and edema factor, were examined in animals infected with bacillus anthracis spores. only the anti-pa polyclonal serum significantly protected the guinea pigs from death, with 67% of infected animals surviving. although none of ...	1997	9393812
anthrax pathogenesis and host response.		1998	9386326
[an outbreak of anthrax in amur province in 1954 (from experience in the diagnosis and control of anthrax)].		1995	9381857
intracytoplasmic delivery of listeriolysin o by a vaccinal strain of bacillus anthracis induces cd8-mediated protection against listeria monocytogenes.	the facultative intracellular pathogen listeria monocytogenes secretes a 58-kda hemolysin, listeriolysin o (llo), that allows bacteria to access the cytoplasm and to multiply inside infected cells. llo is also a protective ag required for the development of specific immunity. we studied the capacity of a new bacterial vector, derived from an attenuated strain of bacillus anthracis, to deliver in vivo llo and to induce protection against l. monocytogenes infection. the hly gene encoding llo was f ...	1997	9379042
[vaccines against anthrax in animals, from louis pasteur to our day].	the authors outline the history of vaccination against anthrax in animals, from the end of the 19th century to the present time. the three main steps in the production of specific vaccines are described in detail: production of vaccines from live, encapsulated bacteria, followed by vaccines from live, unencapsulated bacteria and, finally, subunit vaccines. advantages and disadvantages of these three types of vaccine, some of which are still in use today, are described and discussed.	1996	9376647